K!dnapped Children Of Gurara TV CEO’s Brother-In-Law Spend Five Nights In Capt!vity Amid N100Million Rans0m Demand

 

 

Kidnapped Children Of Gurara TV CEO’s Brother-In-Law Spend Five Nights In Captivity Amid N100Million Ransom Demand

The children, identified as 13-year-old Derick and 11-year-old Damina, were abducted alongside their mother and a neighbour during a late-night attack on Sunday.

Two children of an Air Force officer and brother-in-law to the Chief Executive Officer of Gurara TV, Comrade Ernest Thyek Maidawa, have spent five nights in captivity after armed men abducted them from their residence in Rimi Village, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The children, identified as 13-year-old Derick and 11-year-old Damina, were abducted alongside their mother and a neighbour during a late-night attack on Sunday.

The kidnappers have reportedly demanded ₦100 million for the children’s release, leaving the family facing mounting emotional and financial pressure.

SaharaReporters had reported on Tuesday that the abductors contacted the children’s father, Daniel Dominic, an Air Force officer, and demanded the ransom.

Dominic said he told the kidnappers that he could not afford the amount.

“The kidnappers called yesterday and made a demand of N100 million. I told them, ‘Look, let me be frank.’ I’m not hiding. I said, ‘Okay, let me just tell the truth. Me, I don’t have money. I don’t have anything in my account.’”

He said although he could potentially seek assistance from people around him if the ransom was reduced to a manageable amount, the ₦100 million demand was beyond his means.

Dominic said the caller warned that the abductors “don’t keep people for long,” heightening fears over the safety of the children.

He said he deliberately avoided negotiating a specific amount because he did not want to make a promise he could not fulfil.

“I didn’t bargain anything with them. I told them that I don’t have anything in my account. And I cannot mention that I will give you so-and-so amount,” he said.

“Because if, for example, I say I will give so-and-so amount, I’m lying. Because by the time he says, ‘Okay, bring it now,’ and I can’t come up with it, they’ll feel maybe I’m lying.”

The children were abducted after more than 10 armed men reportedly invaded the family’s residence between 10pm and 11pm while Dominic was away on a night shift.

The attackers, who were reportedly armed with rifles and machetes, had first abducted a neighbour, a laboratory scientist at General Hospital, Sabon Tasha, Kaduna.

The gunmen later broke into Dominic’s house through a window after dismantling the burglary protection.

His wife, who was at home with the couple’s three children, initially hid Derick, Damina and seven-year-old Dominion inside a kitchen cabinet.

When the attackers demanded money, she reportedly told them there was none and claimed that her husband had gone to work. She also told them the children had travelled to their uncle’s house for the holiday.

The gunmen, however, reportedly became suspicious, took her outside and later returned to search the house.

They eventually discovered the children hiding in the cabinet and took Derick and Damina with them, while leaving seven-year-old Dominion behind.

According to Dominic, the kidnappers accused his wife of lying after discovering the children and forced her and the two boys to accompany them towards nearby farmlands and the bush.

His wife was later released after the abductors realised that her poor health was slowing their movement.

Dominic said the family has been left deeply distressed by the continued detention of the children, particularly following the kidnappers’ warning that they do not keep victims for long.

“So maybe from there they can get angry and injure my children, or do something to them,” he said.

He appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to assist the family while urging security agencies to intensify efforts to locate and rescue the children and the kidnapped neighbour.

Dominic said he had reported the incident to his superiors and that security personnel had visited the community to gather information that could assist in locating the victims.

The family is reportedly prioritising the safe return of the children and appealing to the public to avoid actions that could endanger their lives or compromise efforts to secure their release.

The abduction has further heightened concerns over the growing threat of kidnapping for ransom in parts of Kaduna State, with families increasingly exposed to large ransom demands by armed groups.